Arrow to the Heart
by MissNerdyWings
Summary: Based off 4.06. After revealing his magic to save himself and Arthur, Merlin is shot with a crossbow and Arthur is put in a race against time to try and get his best friend back to Camelot before he dies. Hints at Merlin/Arthur. Possible slash in the future. Dedicated to: thefandomsofacrazyperson (tumblr)
1. Chapter 1: A Risk Worth Taking

**Hello and thank you for reading! This is, as you saw, based off 4.06 and is set in the same general time frame. I'm still debating on whether or not to have actual slash, or just hints at it. You can tell me your opinion via reviews. Speaking of reviews, I always love to know what my readers think, so feel free to leave one. **

**(Sorry if there are any errors. My beta is busy with school.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

**Enjoy!**

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The battle raged around the Knights of Camelot. Swords swung, armor clanged, and men screamed as they fell to their deaths. Arthur Pendragon stood in the center of the fray, his incredible skill causing him to take down opponent after opponent. His sword always hit its mark and he was wreaking havoc on the foolish bandits that had dared to challenge him and his knights.

But more and more kept coming. They seemed endless, blossoming out of the trees and the rocks, never ceasing, outnumbering the Knights 10 to 1. Not only that, more than one group of mercenaries had appeared, and they were fighting each other for the rights to their prize.

Arthur paused, panting, sweat on his brow. He assessed the battle, and his face fell. His men were losing, They had moments before they were completely overrun.

"RUN!" Arthur screamed. His men looked at him in shock, and he screamed the order again. They stowed their swords and took off without question, dashing into the woods. The bandits began to follow, but Arthur drew their attention back to himself. He wasn't going anywhere. He would die if it meant his men could live.

"COME ON!" he yelled, eyes flashing dangerously. He twirled his blade and launched into battle once more.

These bandits were no match for Arthur. He had been trained his entire life for battle, and it almost seemed as though he could win it, if he could only take a small rest. He'd never fought so many men for so long in all his life.

"ARTHUR!" A familiar voice called out to him.

"MERLIN?" Arthur cried, shocked.

"ARTHUR, RUN!" Merlin begged, fighting off attackers.

"Don't be an idiot, Merlin! Get out of here!"

"Never."

Merlin appeared beside him. The setting sun set his blue eyes ablaze. He didn't look like a silly servant boy. He looked like a man, a warrior.

"I'm going to save your life, and you are going to like it!" Merlin swung his blade, and three enemies fell.

Arthur laughed bitterly. Merlin was a fool, but he was the best friend Arthur had ever had. If he was going to die with anyone, he was glad it was the dark-haired boy beside him.

The two men fought bravely, valiantly, but they just couldn't hold out. Arthur was injured, and Merlin was getting dizzy, his sword too heavy in his hands. The situation was desperate. Merlin was terrified. He was failing. The young king was going to die, and Merlin wouldn't be able to do anything.

_Merlin, you know the answer. _A voice spoke in his mind, soft and gentle. _Use your gift, Merlin._

_Arthur will kill me, _Merlin whimpered.

_Then die, _the voice said coldly, and then it vanished.

Arthur fell to the earth, gasping for breath. Merlin had seconds.

Anger and hatred boiled in Merlin's stomach, coursing through his veins like a wild fire. These men would pay for what they had done. No one would hurt his friend, his king.

Merlin roared in fury, dropping his sword. He lifted his hands into the air and screamed in the Ancient Language. His blue eyes glowed in the dark as Arthur watched in astonishment. The entire world seemed to fall silent, the battle freezing. Merlin no longer spoke, his entire face contorted in concentration, eyes squeezed shut.

Merlin bellowed furiously, shattering the silence. His eyes flashed open, brilliant gold, and a power with the force of an atomic bomb burst in the air. The men went flying like rag dolls, slamming into trees and rocks, some dying on contact, others just knocked unconscious. Weapons were sent spiraling in all directions.

And then all was still.

"Merlin..." Arthur trailed off, unable to form words after what he'd just seen. "You're a... a sorcerer."

Merlin's eyes were wild, his heart pounding in his chest. Adrenalin surged through his body, making it hard to think properly. When he spoke it was without thought, a burst of energy in the heat of the moment. "You bet, you stupid prat."

He extended a hand, helping Arthur to his feet. The young man couldn't take his eyes off his best friend, unsure of his feelings, trying to absorb it all and failing miserably. It was a bit much and Arthur was still stuck on the fact that Merlin, of all the people, had performed magic.

Merlin looked about, admiring his handy work. He'd taken down the likes of an army, all by himself.

But poor, silly Merlin had forgotten about the men in the woods.

"YOU BASTARD!" The roar of a man lost in grief made the two boys jump. They wheeled around towards the sound, finding a scraggly man with a crossbow aimed right at Merlin.

"Wait-no!" Arthur cried.

But he was too late. The rope twanged, and the arrow flew. Merlin froze in terror, watching as the sharpened tip raced toward his chest.

Finally, his legs responded, but they barley shuffled to the side, his mind overwhelmed with everything that had happened.

Arthur watched in horror as the arrow ripped through Merlin's tunic, tearing his side like it was no more than tissue.

"MERLIN!"

The man should have taken his chance then and run, but he was too busy smirking as the boy fell to the ground, blood seeping from his wound, his face contorted in pain, pathetic cries pouring from his lips.

He didn't get to enjoy it for long. Arthur jumped at him, swinging his sword in an arc of death. The man gasped, and then his head was separated from his body and thumped against a tree.

"That's going to hurt in the morning," Arthur smirked.

"A-Arthur..." Merlin whimpered on the leaf-strewn forest floor.

Arthur turned around, and his face blanched. He no longer cared what Merlin was or what he'd been hiding. All he knew was that he needed help, now. They had to get out of here, quickly.

Arthur ran to him, trying to help him to his feet, but Merlin couldn't stand. He would have fallen again if Arthur hadn't grabbed him in time. His eyes rolled, and Merlin slumped in Arthur's arms, dead to the world.

Arthur lifted the boy into his arms, cradling him gently like a small child. It felt wrong to sling him over his shoulder like a sack of meat, especially in light of what had just happened. He didn't weigh that much anyway, and it was Arthur's job to keep him safe, no matter what.


	2. Chapter 2: Best Friends

**You are all wonderful! Thank you for the reviews! Keep them coming :) I'm still debating on slash or not. And by slash, I basically mean a small kiss. But, as I said, I'm still on the fence about it. **

**Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter took awhile. I have a lot of stories and school has been a bit crazy. To top it off I got sick, which sucked. But I'm trying my best to update once a week. I may not update all my stories, but I will do my best to update at least two of them, so keep an eye out.**

**Also: Sorry if there are any errors. Please let me know if you spot an error so I can go back and fix it. I'm in search of a beta at the moment and my own eyes can only catch so much, so there are probably going to be a few mess ups. **

**Alright, enough talk. You came here for the next chapter! And it's quite fluffy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. **

**Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review :)**

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A black-bird crowed in a tree balefully. The moon was well risen know. It was full tonight, round like a bright silver coin, giving Arthur enough light to make it safely through the trees. Arthur walked as fast and as gently as he could, trying his very best not to unsettle Merlin.

The boy slept soundly in his arms, his head against Arthur's chest. His breathing was shallow and his face was pale but at least he was living. Arthur tried to ignore the blood that made his armor hot and slippery. He'd stopped briefly to give Merlin a quick, make-shift bandage, but it wouldn't be enough. Arthur was no healer, and this wound was too serious for him to deal with on his own. He had to get Merlin back to Camelot, to Gaius.

As Arthur walked through the trees, trying to find a safe place to rest, he thought back on the earlier events of the day, of the obvious magic Merlin had used. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Merlin had used magic for some time. There were so many lucky instances that Arthur had simply put to good timing, but what if they were all Merlin? He remembered all the injuries he'd suffered, but how, when he woke, they were completely healed or almost there, making him doubt the seriousness of the wound in the first place.

How many times had Merlin been his savior without him knowing? How many times had Merlin risked execution to save Arthur's life?

Arthur thought back on the years they had spent together. He remembered when Merlin had taken the poison for him and Arthur had to get the flower and had nearly been killed by that evil witch. He remembered the glowing ball of light that had guided him to safety. Had that been Merlin? He recalled when Merlin had been accused of sorcery. But it had proven the Witch Hunter was a liar, hadn't it? But then there were all those times when his enemies had inexplicably lost their weapons or were thrown off their horses and his life was saved. And Merlin always seemed to be absent when so many miracles took place, out of sight when luck was in their favor. Not only had luck favored Arthur and his men, Merlin had showed incredible bravery and made it out of so many impossible situations Arthur had lost count. He remembered Merlin going missing for days, and when he came back with some lame excuse he was usually beaten up and some problem had been resolved.

"You idiot," Arthur muttered, looking at the boy in his arms. Merlin stirred slightly, wincing in his sleep, and Arthur decided it was time to rest. He found a small cave hidden by trees and he laid the servant gently on the stone floor, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Once he was sure Merlin could rest safely for a moment, Arthur went about making a small camp and disguising their cave a bit better. When a small fire warmed the cave, Arthur finally checked the wound.

He pulled out his knife, cutting away Merlin's tunic and shirt. He pulled the cloth out of the way with one hand while the other unwrapped the scarf, which was stained with blood. Merlin's skin was cold and clammy, his breathing still shallow and uneven. Arthur peered nervously at the wound and his heart dropped into his stomach.

It was much worse than he'd imagined. Merlin has lost a lot of blood, and his side was ripped apart like shredded beef. Arthur had found a hollow stone to use as a pot and was heating water over the fire, and he decided this would be a good purpose for it. He gently removed the steaming water, and stripped his armor and lifted his tunic off, leaving him in his white shirt. He tore strips from his tunic and hunks from Merlin's to use as bandages and rags. He dabbed the cloths in the water and gently dabbed at Merlin's wound.

"Ah!" Merlin's eyes flashed open the second Arthur brushed the wound. He tried to sit up, but Arthur pushed him back down.

"Stay still," Arthur commanded. "I need to clean the wound." Merlin's eyes were dilated in fear. He knew it was going to hurt.

Arthur dabbed gently as he could, trying to ignore Merlin's winces and muted screams. He started with the edges of the wound, moving in slowly. When he dabbed at the center, Merlin gasped, tears welling up in his eyes. He bit the inside of his cheek so hard trying not to scream he drew blood.

"Done!" Arthur said, removing his hand. He'd had to restrain Merlin as they got farther into the wound because the boy had wriggled and bucked uncontrollably in response to the stabbing pain. Merlin wiped tears from his cheeks, taking a shaky breath.

"I just have to bandage it, and we'll be done," Arthur said. Merlin nodded tersely, staying strong. He felt humiliated, crying in front of Arthur like a big baby.

As his friend wrapped his wound, Merlin spoke, voice as soft and small as birdsong. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"No, you aren't," said Arthur fiercely. "I won't let you." He paused, chuckling. "Who else would polish my armor?"

"There are plenty of other servants out there."

"But none of them are as brave and loyal as the one I have. They're all cowards and bootlickers. Mine certainly isn't. In fact, he's rather annoying and disrespectful and a bit of an idiot." Arthur paused what he was doing to smile softly at Merlin and tousled his hair.

Merlin smiled back weakly. He remembered how much of a prat Arthur had been when they'd met, how much he hated him. Now, they were best friends and Merlin loved the man who knelt next to him like family.

Arthur wanted desperately to question Merlin about the magic, about everything he'd done, but he knew now was not the time. Merlin needed rest, time to calm down and heal up. It would be a rough ride the next couple days. He would talk to his friend when he was sure he was alright and not a moment sooner.

"We'll need to find a horse," said Arthur, finishing wrapping up Merlin. "We won't make it to Camelot in time on foot."

"In time for what?" asked Merlin.

"In time to save your life."

Merlin nodded. He shivered slightly, a chill settling over his body. Arthur pressed his hand to Merlin's forehead, and frowned.

"You're burning up."

"I'm freezing," Merlin said, teeth chattering. "Gaius would say it's better to break the fever by heating me up."

Arthur nodded. Merlin's shirt was in ruins, but Arthur's wasn't. He pulled it off, leaving his torso bare.

"Here, but this on. Yours in ruined."

"Arthur, I can't-"

"Merlin, take it."

Merlin sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this fight. He tried to pull the shirt on but the slightest stretch on his wound had him gasping.

Arthur sighed, helping him. When the job was done, Arthur bit back laughter.

"It's huge on me," Merlin grumbled. His slender frame was swallowed up by Arthur's shirt.

"I'm a big man," Arthur said with a shrug.

"With an even bigger ego," Merlin mumbled. But he was smiling. The boys looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter, but Merlin had to stop after only a moment, the pain too great.

"Get some sleep, Merlin. I'll keep watch." Arthur settled against the wall of the cave as comfortably as he could. Merlin rested his head on the ground, using his arm as a pillow, and was asleep in seconds. Arthur chuckled, lumping up the remnants of their tunics into a make-shift pillow. He carefully slipped Merlin's head beneath it, then relaxed against the wall again, staring at the dying fire.

Arthur sat in the dark for a long time. The moon was high in the sky and the fire was no more than glowing embers when he finally slipped into sleep, too tired to keep his eyes open any longer. Arthur too had been injured in the battle, but his wounds were minor. A cut on his shoulder, an aching in his chest, a scrape on his cheeks. He was exhausted and beaten down, but he'd never show it, not when Merlin needed help so badly. If Arthur let slip that he was even feeling tired, Merlin would get like he always did and insist that Arthur was more important and that they should concentrate on getting him better instead of Merlin.

The pains of having a best friend.


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